| Abstract: | Information on costs of crime in any one country is difficult to compile and most efforts to present the costs of crime have had shortcomings flowing from the ambiguity of data and a lack of precise information on both costs and benefits. International information on the costs of crime is extremely rare; and, of course, comparative data is a task for the future when uniform data collection becomes possible. Even then the information is likely to reflect (as do official crime figures now) the cooperation or lack of cooperation of particular governments. This paper describes an unprecedented approach by the Australian Institute of Criminology to improve the present state of knowledge by working through diplomatic channels. |
